Technology today is intuitive. Users can just figure it out, right?
While that is mostly true, but are they doing it in a way that aligns with your initial business case for the technology to begin with? A customer came to us 18 months after their initial ITSM deployment concerned about their lack of usage, their long incident response times and poor user perception of the platform. After some tough conversations with their CIO, they decided to organize some focus sessions. They learned that the issue was not in the platform itself, but the lack of understanding in how to use it. Without any ongoing training or communications in place, users were confused about why processes were designed the way they were and how to use them.
They engaged ServiceNow to provide some focused support for a newly launched Change Enablement effort. After the engagement, “The feedback we got was eye opening. It has spurred process improvement in things we have had installed for years. Just going back and doing training on existing processes has had us ask why are we doing this? Is there a better way? This training has provided awareness for our team to go back and look at aging incidents and engaging with their customers. I just wish we had done all this the first time around.”
The lesson here is, go into every implementation with a user-centric mindset, starting and ending with the same question. ‘How will / does this better serve my customers and employees?’
What is Change Enablement?
There’s a lot of terminology out there for discussing change management and user adoption. We prefer the term Change Enablement. This is the process used to equip individuals with the knowledge and skills they need to successfully adapt to a new technology, process, or policy designed to grow business results. What’s most important about this definition is the focus on connecting user behavior to expected business results and outcomes.
Integrating Change Enablement with Project Management
The Change Enablement workstream is essential to a successful project. For that reason, integrating Change Enablement with Project Management leads to greater success. According to Melanie Franklin of Agile Change Management Limited, “Change management needs to be portrayed as a risk management strategy, not as a ‘nice to have’ after-thought to the standard project plan.”
Are you ready to integrate Change Management with Project Management? To get started on the path to success, follow these simple steps.
1. Include the Change Enablement workstream early and often.
Whether you call it “User Adoption”, “Organizational Change Management” or “Change Enablement” – just start early. It’s never too early to start planning, but you can definitely miss the boat if you wait too long. Include major Change Enablement workstream milestones in the larger project plan, and ensure they are updated regularly.
2. Leverage resources available to you.
Depending on budget, it’s not always possible to dedicate a full-time resource to Change Enablement. Just because your resource is wearing many hats, the job doesn’t become easier. Leverage all the resources available that can give you a jump start. Start with the Champion Enablement resources in the ServiceNow Customer Success Center.
3. Combine workshops when it makes sense.
In the early stages of a project, much of the same information is needed from all workstreams, though it might be used for different purposes. Combining workshops to get stakeholder/persona information, for example, can reduce “double-tapping” busy resources. This also engages project team members to support change enablement efforts, whether that’s combining workshops or creating time in the schedule to meet with Process Owners. Additionally, be sure to include the Change Enablement Lead in important project meetings where things like timeline, dependencies, scope, stakeholders, communications, training and go live approach and support are being discussed.
4. Report out regularly and maintain a single source of truth.
Stakeholder alignment is key, but can quickly go off the rails if managed incorrectly. Include a Change Enablement workstream update in project stand-up meetings. Early on, it might not seem relevant, but as you get closer to go-live, all the workstreams will converge. Including Change Enablement in the stand-up will ensure potential issues are identified early.
One area where all workstreams need to be closely aligned is the go-live support effort. Remember to check in that the Change Enablement workstream major milestones are regularly getting updated in the primary project plan, and not managed separately. This is best managed through weekly touchpoints between the Project Manager and the Change Enablement Lead.
5. Buy-in is everybody’s job.
The most common prohibitor to a smooth Change Enablement workstream, next to lack of execution, is lack of buy-in. Employees of any level that don’t understand the value of the work being done can weigh down an entire project. It’s crucial that the communication efforts extend to everyone; both inside and outside of the core project team. Whatever your level or role in the organization, you can be an example of a positive advocate for change.
Looking for more guidance?
Learn how ServiceNow has integrated Change Enablement into Project Management in the newly launched Now Create portal!
Now Create offers step-by-step guidance that’s based on real work experience so you can create new workflows fast—and get them right the first time. It provides a prescriptive methodology, leading practices, and assets to help you with ServiceNow implementations, upgrades, and more. Embedded in each success package is an organizational change management workstream with downloadable guidance and assets.
To learn more about how ServiceNow’s Training and Adoption services can help you, check out our webpage or contact trainingAE@servicenow.com.
